TNL Conclave: Privacy! What is it good for?

Privacy concerns lie squarely at the intersection of technology and society. We see privacy concerns arise in the recent discussions around digital contact tracing for addressing the COVID pandemic. And also in perennial concerns around governments’ access to citizens’ cellphone data (and metadata). Examining privacy concerns requires an examination of both the technological dimensions of privacy preservation and the societal mandates or expectations around privacy.

Our first aim was to explore expectations of privacy and some potential foundational justifications for these. Then we examined the state of data privacy-preservation technologies. Finally, we examined the regulatory landscape on privacy issues.